Tag Archives: Relationship Building

Friendships don\’t happen over night, they happen over time and guess what, relationship building in social media also takes time!

Let\’s talk about Twitter! For your information I love Twitter and have made great friends on Twitter! Have I met those friends face to face, some yes and most no. They are global! The friendships I have developed on Twitter did not happen over night, they happened over time!

Time is the key word. How much time you invest in the relationship is very important. Let\’s talk about Twitter! First thing in the morning send a tweet out and say Good Morning! You will be surprised at how many people respond with a Good Morning to you. Listen to what other people are talking about and retweet a post. FYI people love to get their tweets retweeted! It\’s a way to get noticed and connected. Thank everyone who mentions and retweets your posts. Last but not least, don\’t just post a tweet and forget about it. You would not just walk away from a conversation you started, would you? Keep tabs on your Twitter account throughout the day, retweet, ask questions, comment and ENGAGE!

Facebook is all about sharing information! What you share and how often you share is important for both Business and Personal Facebook Pages, remember a LIKE can also turn into an Unlike. Keep tabs on your audience by looking at your Insights and Analytics (only available for business pages.) You can see what\’s working and what\’s not. There is great information Facebook is sending you so make sure to review it.

Relationship Building is just that, building a relationship. It takes time! Start by getting social!

My last thought regarding Relationship Building in Social Media is don\’t put a time on it, put time into it!

At the end of my blog I would like to invite all of my friends to visit Via Key West “Where Funky Meets Fabulous” and check out the unique Key West Gifts inspired by the place I call home, Key West, Florida!

I love twitter! I am a fan, I tweet, retweet and yes have conversations with people all over the world! Did it start that way, no! When I began this Social Media journey with Twitter I too was confused, concerned and wondering how is this going to make a difference in my world. A tweet, a retweet, a hastag, oh me oh my…a new language and 140 characters max!

Do's and Don'ts of Twitter

My first response to all of this was people have too much time on there hands, who cares what you are eating for lunch or if you are having coffee and the list goes on and on. I love to talk so my reaction to 140 characters was no way will I be able to do that. Guess what, people do care and it\’s about sharing information and building relationships! Also, go write something down, edit it and try to get your message across in 140 characters. You will be surprised to see how much information you can take out to make your message clear in less than 140 characters.

Don\’t forget Social Networking is about being Social. Be Real! Take time to learn about Twitter and forget about the numbers and how many followers you have. When I say “be real” please take time and share and don\’t use this forum to sell (at least don\’t do it 80% of the time as that\’s not what this is for.)

I just came across a great article on how you can make Twitter work for you. The 8 Dos and Don\’t s of Twitter, by Maggie Hoffman. Read it, share it, and make sure you follow the advice given. Do you have any more do\’s and don\’ts to add to the list? If so, please share them.

Today my message is going to be short and sweet! I\’m going to get right to the point and talk about Quality vs. Quantity in Friends and Followers.

I see so many people jumping into Twitter and Facebook looking at the numbers and how many people are “liking” or “following” them. Social Media is not a popularity contest! Don\’t be concerned with the number of Followers and Like\’s! Do be concerned with the person who is following you or liking you! Don\’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of both Facebook and Twitter but I see this urgency of people looking more at the numbers and not at the value of building relationships and using both to share and engage in conversations with the friends and followers.

For example, on the business pages I have seen many accounts being set up incorrectly. Setting up your business page as a personal page is a No No! This is not a good idea and not what one would call “Best Practices.” Being Social is not just going and “liking” thousands of people in hopes that they will visit you, buy something from you or just “like” you back. It is a way of sharing information and a networking opportunity. Be careful and always remember, it\’s about the share, not the sell! It\’s about quality, not quantity!

Social Media is not about numbers and how many people like or follow you! Again, it\’s not a popularity contest! Don\’t get caught up in numbers and do get caught up in building relationships, engaging in conversations and of course, be real!

In the last couple of weeks I have had discussions with many people about Facebook and Twitter and what I have found is the lack of knowledge and lack of time is creating this barrier on jumping on board with Social Media!

Social Media is having conversations! Whether you are on Facebook or Twitter it is about engaging. One way streets do not do well. You have to take the time and engage, share and be social. Today I’m going to share information on “Learning how to use the tools” from the blog Twitter is Such a Tool by Social Media Strategist Julia Rosien. By the way, I met Julia via Twitter @juliarosien and recommend you follow her.

Learning how to use the tools,

Just like an expert builder shows an apprentice how to use the tools before letting him use them on his own, Twitter requires some training. There are rules and best practices. If you’re venturing onto Twitter for the first time, learn how to play by the rules – and add value to your network.

Fill out your Twitter profile with a brief bio, link to your website and an appropriate avatar. If you want people to take you seriously, start by giving them a reason to. Not using a picture or providing a bio sends a strong signal that you’re either a spammer or ambivalent – neither is alluring.

Listen. No really, listen. Search businesses and influential people in your geographical area and then just listen. Learn what interests them, what gets them really excited and if there are different times of day they congregate. And listen more.

Download some tools to make the listening easier. TweetDeck and HootSuite will help you sort and filter the noise so you can pay attention to what matters to you.

Make friends. The best first-day-on-the-job advice I ever received was to be nice and make friends. Contribute to the conversations in ways that add value to people you’re following – this isn’t about selling – it’s about introducing yourself.

Tell people about you. A good salesperson knows the sales pitch is never a pitch, it’s a natural progression of a relationship – satisfying a need based on information shared. Understand the difference between sharing info about your company and selling.

The Social Suite was delighted to be included in this blog so make sure you read Twitter is Such a Tool and find out what we had to say! We hope this blog was helpful to you and encourage you to share it with your friends. Also drop us a note and let us know what you think!